Bahrain activates emergency sirens, asks residents to move to safe locations

Bahrain on Wednesday activated emergency alarm sirens and asked all citizens and residents to immediately move to the nearest safe location as tensions in the region escalated.

In a post on X, the ministry said, "The alarm siren has been activated. Citizens and residents are requested to remain calm, head to the nearest safe location, and follow updates through official channels."

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The advisory came after US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out a series of strikes on July 7 against more than 80 military targets inside Iran using precision-guided munitions.

According to CENTCOM, the operation targeted Iran's maritime military infrastructure, including command-and-control networks, air defence systems, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile positions and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) small boats. The US military said the objective was to reduce Iran's ability to carry out further attacks on commercial shipping in the region.

CENTCOM said the strikes were launched after attacks on three commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The vessels were identified as the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity.

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In a post on X, CENTCOM said, "The US strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire."

Following the strikes, Iranian state media reported explosions in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as on Qeshm Island. It also reported fires at the Sirik pier and Shahid Haqqani Port in Bandar Abbas.

Iran's official news agency IRNA, citing the Governor of Hormozgan province's office, said, "to date, there have been no civilian casualty reports resulting from Tuesday evening's attacks by the American adversary."

Separately, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf accused the US administration of committing several "major violations" of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signalling a further deterioration in relations between the two countries.

In a post on X, Ghalibaf said, "The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don't fold."

The latest operation marks the first direct US military action against Iran since late June, when a series of strikes and counter-strikes ended with a temporary ceasefire under a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding.